The Lion in the Night
by lilval06
Summary: Seth Plummer has been repeatedly recieving threatening letters from someone who calls themselves the Lion. Could they just be a practical joke or could these letters spell danger for Seth.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fanfiction. The author is making no money from it. The Pacifier, its characters, that includes Seth, etc., are the sole property of Disney and its creators.

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This story takes place after Blue Eyes Now Cold. All the events in that story have taken place previous to this story. It's not necessary to have read that story to understand this one, but it does help. That story explains the exsistence of Lillian. Anyways... **

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**The Lion in the NightChapter One**

_There it was again. It was just starring at him, mocking him. He couldn't take it anymore. Why was this happening to him?_

Seth made his way over to his desk in his eighth period math class and there it was;that white sheet of paper on his desk. This was really starting to creep him out. Seth slowly made his way over to his desk and just stared at the letter for a second. Did he really want to know what this note said? Everyday a new note had appeared on his desk, everyday a new message, but everyday it was signed by the same person, the Lion. Seth didn't know what that meant and he wasn't sure if he wanted to find out, but yet again, he found himself opening the letter, his curiosity overriding his good sense. Today the letter said:

"_Veni, vidi, vici. I came, I saw, I conquered." –Caesar  
__I came, I saw, and I will conquer. Beware._

The Lion

Seth was beginning to get freaked out by all of this; this was starting to get serious. He had no time to contemplate the meaning of the new letter, however, because the bell rang, signaling that class had started. Seth shoved the letter in his pocket and sat down as the rest of the class settled down. Instead of paying attention to his math teacher, Seth pondered whether of not he should tell someone about this. Was someone seriously out to get him, or was he just being paranoid? Seth did not know the answer to his question so he decided to ask Lillian about it. Maybe Lillian could shed some light on the mysteriousness of the letters. So Seth sat there, for the next twenty minutes counting the seconds left till he could talk to Lillian.

After what seemed like hours, but was really only 40 minutes, Seth heard the bell ring, signaling the end of school. He ran out the door and to Lillian's locker.

"Lillian! Lillian!"

"Calm down Seth, what is it?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Okay about what."

"Can we do this in private or something, where there aren't so many people around?"

"Sure, follow me." Lillian led Seth to a tree out in the school yard and waited till no one was around. "Okay now spill your guts. What is it?"

"Well, I keep getting these letters."

"And…"

"And that's it."

"You dragged me all the way out here for that."

"Lillian, these letters are seriously starting to creep me out. Everyday I walk into my eighth period math class to find a note sitting on my desk. That means that someone must know where I sit in math."

"So…"

"So Lillian, they keep writing me creepy, threatening letters. Like today, it said, 'I came, I saw, andI will conquer. Beware.' What if I'm being stalked or something."

"I wouldn't loose sleep over it Seth, it's probably just someone playing a practical joke on you. I hear that Brian is still pretty ticked at you, maybe he is just trying to rattle your nerves."

"Lillian, I have this feeling that it is much more serious than that."

"I think that your paranoia just makes you think that it is much more serious than it actually is."

"I'm not so sure."

"Fine, Seth, would you like me to look into it or something, you know find out who the culprit is. Would that make you fell better?"

"Yes."

"Fine, I'll do it. Anything to get you to stop being so paranoid over this whole situation. Now I have to get to track practice and I believe that you have to get to play practice, in fact I see Mrs. Plummer…"

"Call her Mom."

"No. I see that _Mrs. Plummer _is here to take you to practice." Seth looked hesitant to leave as if he had more to say to Lillian. "Just go Seth, it will be alright, you'll see. If anyone tries to hurt you, they have to go through me first."

"Promise you'll look into it."

"I promise, now go."

"Okay, see you later Lillian."

"Bye Seth. Love ya."

As Seth ran off to meet his mother, he was still uneasy about the letters. While he trusted his sister's judgment, he felt that she was wrong on this one. He could not explain it, but he felt as though something seriously bad was going to happen.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter 2**

_When you're a Jet, __  
__You're a Jet all the way __  
__From your first cigarette __  
__To your last dyin' day. _

_When you're a Jet, __  
__If the spit hits the fan, __  
__You got brothers around, __  
__You're a family man!_

_You're never alone, __  
__You're never disconnected! __  
__You're home with your own: __  
__When company's expected, __  
__You're well …_

_Ring! Ring!_

"Okay, who left their cell phone on during practice?" Mr. Taggert, the new play director, asked.

"Sorry, that was me," Seth said timidly. "I wouldn't have normally left it on, but this is important." Seth grabbed his cell phone and ran into the next room, away from prying ears. He had told Lillian to call him as soon as she found out anything. He hoped that this call was from her. "What do you got for me?"

"Well, that was rude, don't I get a hello or something." Lillian replied.

"No, now tell me what you found out."

"Well, through a logical conclusion, I figured that whoever is giving you these letters must be in the math class before yours. Mr. Bennet puts your seating order on the board each semester so it would be easy for them to know which desk to put the letter on."

"Just get on with it Lillian."

"Well, maybe I won't now that you are being so rude."

"Lillian, please," Seth responded with a bit of desperation and panic in his voice. These letters really were starting to bother him.

"Okay, I acquired a list of Mr. Bennett's seventh period class."

"And how did you _acquire _this list?"

"I got it from Mr. Bennet."

"Really."

"No. Okay, I stole it. I snuck into the principal's office and stole it, but we're moving on now and you're going to forget that I told you that. I am going to read you off the list and you're going to tell me if any of the names sound familiar, like one of Brian's goons, or an ex-girlfriend, or an ex-friend that may be mad at you, even for the simplest of things. Can you do that?"

"Yeah, just get on with it."

"Ryan Simmons." "No."

"Samantha Lotry." "No."

"Riley Drake." "No."

"Jayde Cooper." "No."

"Claire Smith." "No."

"Joshua Pelz." "No."

"Grant Macko." "No."

"Ashley Kuell." "Yes, wait, no. She dumped me. Never mind, continue."

"We'll right her down just in case. Nate Smith." "Yes. One of Brian's goons."

"Okay, that's good. We better go through the rest of the names though. James Clew." "No."

"Tammy Strong." "No."

"Jacob Rider." "No."

"Okay, that's it. I will look into those two people for you, but I'm pretty sure that nothing bad is going to happen."

"I know, I just can't get rid of this feeling that danger is lurking around the corner somewhere."

"You're just being paranoid Seth. Relax. We can look over these two names when you get home, which is in about ten minutes. Do you think you can hold on till then?" Lillian said teasingly.

"Shut up."

"I don't shut up, I grow up, and when I look at you I throw up."

"You watch way too much television."

"I know, I gotta go, but I will see you soon."

"Bye Lillian." Seth said and hung up the phone. It was then that Seth realized that he had spent way too much time on the phone with his sister for everyone had left when he reentered the stage room, even Mr. Taggert was gone. Seth turned off the lights and locked the door behind him. Something was nagging at the back of his mind though. Had he forgotten something? Seth did an inventory and discovered that he had not left anything behind. So he continued to walk down the alley to the bus station. But thenhe heard something behind him, something was definitely moving behind him and that something was definitely human. He could feel their eyes on his back. Seth began to panic irrationally as he started walking faster, but he realized that his panic was not ill-founded as the footsteps behind him got faster too. Seth managed to reach the street at a dead run, but he made one mistake. Believing that he was safe once he reached the street, Seth stopped, relief flooding through his body. He no longer heard the footsteps. Maybe he had imagined the whole thing and his mind was playing tricks on him. Maybe he was just overreacting and was a bit too jumpy because of the letters. When Seth finally made his mind believe that, he began to start walking again, but before he could take two steps a hand clamped over his mouth and roughly pulled him back into the alley.

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The sentence I don't shut up I grow up and when I look at you I throw up is from the movie Stand By Me. That is my favorite movie of all time. And the lyrics are from West Side Story which doesn't belong to me either. 


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter 3**

"What do you want?" Seth said when the hand pulled away from his mouth.

"What do you think?" A dark, menacing voice answered, sending shivers up Seth's spine. Unconsciously, he took a step back from the threatening figure standing before him as he felt the panic begin to rise within him. This couldn't be happening. Seth saw the person begin to reach for something and not wanting to find out what the object was Seth began to move away from the menacing character. Before he could move far, though, the thug, with cat like reflexes, reached out and struck him across the face with the object he was previously reaching for. Seth, unable to keep his balance, fell backwards onto the ground, his vision swimming from the vicious blow. Seth was rooted to his spot on the ground as the menacing figure stepped towards him. Seth closed his eyes trying to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. He just hoped that his family knew how much they meant to him.

* * *

"Come on Seth, please pick up. Please pick up. You have to be there Seth, just please pick up the phone." Lillian muttered to herself out loud. Lillian was attempting to reach Seth for the hundredth time within the last few minutes. He was late returning home, he should have been home almost half an hour ago. Lillian was beginning to get worried. What if he was hurt? What if he really was being stalked by a crazy person? Something was definitely wrong. She just had this feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was terribly wrong. She was probably being irrational, Seth was most likely just staying at practice a little later than unusual, but no matter how much Lillian wanted to believe this, she just had to check for herself that everything was okay. She grabbed Zoë's keysto the minivan and took off for the stage. As she got closer she felt that feeling in her stomach grow and dread began to fill her heart. What would she find when there? Like a monster in a child's closet, the feeling began to scare Lillian. Unable to wait any longer, Lillian illegally parked the car and ran down the alleyway to the studio.

The door to the studio was locked. Lillian mentally berated herself for completely irrational panic. She was about to return to the car believing that Seth was probably at a friend's house, when she heard a groan behind her. Turning around, Lillian did not immediately see anything. Carefully she made her way farther back into the alley, ready to fight if the situation arose. That's when she saw it.

"Oh God, Seth!" Lillian ran to her brother's side and slide on her knees to land next to him. He was badly injured. A gigantic bruise was forming from his temple to his chin. A large gash was bleeding freely above his right eye. Lillian could tell that his arm was definitely broken and no one knew what injuries were hidden under his clothes. Momentarily shocked by the sight of her brother, Lillian just stared at him. Finally she was able to regain control of her emotions. She grabbed Seth's cellphone and called the paramedics, praying that they would get there on time.

"Seth. Wake up Seth. Don't leave me here. You have to be okay, you just have to be. This wasn't supposed to happen. Oh God, Seth, please wake up. Please. I'm so sorry." Lillian desperately called out to her brother, but all she received was silence in return. To keep her raging emotions under control, Lillian began to mutter calming words to her brother until the ambulance arrived.

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Stan and Daryl were having their routine coffee break when an urgent call was sent their way. Apparently a teenage boy had been mugged in an alleyway and the person that had called it in was close to loosing the control that she was barely holding on to. The two paramedics quickly left the store for the scene. They arrived on the scene within a couple of minutes. They approached the victim and the girl sitting next to him. The girl was oblivious to their approach, so they carefully walked towards the two. Stan slowly sat down next to the girl. She was clearly perturbed by the incident. Daryl began to work on the boy; Stan was the one who was good with working with traumatized bystanders and family of the victims. This teenager did not seem to be handling the scene well at all. It was a perfect case for Stan.

"Hi. What's your name?" Stan said.

"Lillian Plummer," she replied timidly.

"Do you know him?"

"Yeah, he's my brother."

"What's his name?"

"Seth."

"How old is he?"

"15."

"Do you want to ride with us to the hospital?"

"Yes." Lillian quietly said and nearly burst out into tears.

"Okay, come on sweetheart."Stan led Lillian to the ambulance andfollowed Daryl and Seth into the back of it. Daryl drove so that Stan could stay with the girl. She was trying hard to put on a brave front for them, trying hardto hold back the tears.

"Are your parents home, honey."

"Yeah, I should call them."

"I'll do it. What's the name of your parents and your phone number?"

* * *

"Hello. Is a Julie Plummer there?"

"Yeah hold on. **MOM!**"

"I got it Lulu. Hello," Julie said into the phone.

Lulu sat impatiently by the phone. She was about to use it and then the phone just had to ring. What if this was one of her mother's friends, she could be waiting by the phone for hours and then knowing her luck, she'll leave to get a snack and come back to find Zoe on the phone. Lulu was about to continue ranting, when she noticed a change in demeanor in her mother. Her mother had taken on a serious look and there was fear in her eyes.

"What hospital are you taking him to?" Lulu's eyes opened wide at that. What was wrong? Who was going to the hospital? Lulu began to get worried as her mother frantically made her way to the stairs.

"HELGA!"

"Yes, Mrs. Plummer."

"I'm going to the hospital; you're going to have to watch Tyler and Peter for a longer time tonight. I may not come home at all tonight."

"Mom, what's wrong?" It was Zoë's turn to talk.

"Lillian found Seth in an alleyway. It appears that he was mugged."

"Is he going to be okay?" Lulu said with a hint of worry in her voice.

"I don't know sweetheart. I'm going to go meet the ambulance at the hospital now."

"I'm going with you."

"Me too."

"Alright, just get into the car. Zoe can you drive us there."

"Yeah Mom," Zoe said noticing that her mother was in no condition to drive.

"He'll be alright. He just has to be."


	4. Chapter Four

Shane will be in this story, but it will take a little time to get to his major part in the story.

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**Chapter 4**

Zoe was impatiently sitting in the hospital waiting room. It had been hours since her brother had been brought in and if the doctors were taking this long… Zoe didn't even want to think of where that train of thought would lead. Seth just had to be alright.

Zoe glanced over at her mother and sister. Lulu was sleeping, her head resting on Julie's lap. Julie, however, was not sleeping, her mind too focused on Seth to do anything else. Why was life so unfair for Seth? Why did bad things, like this, always happen to her brother? It was like the world was trying to punish him. Zoe moved her thoughts away from that and continued to look around at the people in the room. Shane and Claire were holding hands; they were just as worried as the Plummers were about Seth. Shane was like a father to the five of them. Zoe last settled her gaze on Lillian. The newest Plummer seemed to be the most affected by the attack on Seth; it was as though she blamed herself. Lillian was new at handling problems like this. The whole caring about other people and being cared for back was still very new to her. Loosing Seth would be devastating for the teenager. Zoe focused her eyes on the door and jumped when the door unexpectedly opened, revealing Seth's doctor.

"Are you here for Seth Plummer?"

"Yes, I'm his mother, how is he?" Julie said as the doctor and herself as well as Shane moved to a corner of the room to talk out of earshot of the children.

"He is going to be just fine. He has a concussion and one nasty headache. He has five broken ribs. One of those ribs punctured his lung. We had to perform surgery to remove the rib and fix his lung. His arm and wrist were badly damaged. His right forearm was snapped in half, his rightwrist was fractured and his right shoulder was dislocated. His back, chest, arms and face are covered in contusions and bruises. He is going to need a lot of time to recover and we will be keeping him in the hospital for a few days, just until there is no risk of infection if he leaves."

"Can we see him?"Julie asked timidly. Tears were welling in her eyes and were threatening to spill over.

"Of course you can. He is heavily drugged and probably will not wake up till tomorrow morning at the earliest.

"Thank you Doctor." The doctor led the family, Shane, and Claire up to ICU. Julie was shocked at the state of her son. She had expected her child to be badly injured, but she was not prepared to see him. He looked so fragile and helpless lying there on the white hospital bed, that Julie could not help but cry. Shane wrapped his arms around her, but she quickly regained control of herself. She had to be strong for her other children and for Seth. If Lillian saw her break down right now, the teenager may feel guilty for things that were beyond her control. The girl had been a mess when Julie had first arrived at the hospital. It had taken her a long time to calm her newest daughter down, especially since she couldn't hug Lillian. Lillian was not very big on the whole touching thing and Julie had to respect her space till the child adjusted and learned to trust people.

"Mommy, is Seth going to be okay?" Lulu asked pulling Julie out of her reverie.

"Yeah, honey. Seth will be okay. He just needs time to recover."

"Why do bad things always happen to Seth?"

"I don't know honey. I just don't know why."


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter 5**

Boredom. Seth was beyond bored at this point in time. He had been home from the hospital for two days and no one would let him do anything. He was allowed to get up and go to the bathroom. That was it. Lillian, since she shares a room with him, would wait hand and foot on him even though he had repeatedly told her not to. She was stubborn though. She was worse than a mule.

"Hey Seth, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine Lillian. You need to stop fussing so much. I'm not going to suddenly break if you leave for two seconds."

"I'm sorry Seth, I'm just worried about you." Lillian said without even the slightest bit of notion that she was actually sorry.

"You're not sorry."

"So." There was something else. Seth could sense it.

"What is it?"

"How could you tell?"

"You're like an open book Lillian. Spill."

"Seth, do you really think that this was a random mugging?" She hit the spot, Seth had been thinking along the same lines recently.

"No."

"I think that we should tell Shane or someone about the Lion."

"And what exactly are we going to tell them Lillian? We have no proof that this was anything more than some random act. I don't want to worry Mom and Shane about nothing, because it is probably just a coincidence."

"Do you really think that?" Seth looked down at his feet and did not respond. He didn't believe a single word of what he had just told Lillian. "I didn't think so."

"Look, Lillian, we are probably worrying about nothing, so please, don't tell anyone about this. Not yet at least. Okay?"

"Alright," Lillian said hesitatingly. She wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do. "But you'll tell me if anything else happens, right?"

"Right, now leave. Go out with some friends or something. You don't have to spend every second that you have to spare with me."

"Alright, I'm leaving. See you later."

As Lillian left the room, Seth pulled out the piece of paper that had been haunting him ever since the night he had returned home. That first night that he had returned home had not been as peaceful as he would have hoped. He had woken up from a nightmare that night and had felt so sure that there had been eyes just starring at him. He woken up expecting someone to be watching him, but no one was there. Lillian was still sound asleep, but there had been something strange about the room. The window. The window was open. Seth was positive that Lillian had closed it before they had gone to bed. Had she opened it sometime during the night? Seth soon realized that this conclusion was wrong for there was a note next to his bed. The note was signed by the Lion. Seth had read the note a million times and could now recite it from heart. It went something like this.

I'm sorry Seth, you're my best friend, but you had to be punished. I can't have my best friend disobey me like that, now can I? You should have known better Seth. I couldn't let you get away with it. I own you now, you belong to me and nobody else. I told you I would win; I told you that I would conquer. Nobody believed me. Do you believe me now? You can't escape me. We are going to be best friends forever and no one will ruin this friendship, not even you or your pesky sister. I care about you Seth.

P.S. If you tell your sister anything else about me and continue to have her look into this, I will just have to punish you again, but this time it will be your sister that ends up in the hospital.

Love, your best friend in the whole wide world:

The Lion

This letter freaked Seth out more than the others had. He knew the kid was serious and if provoked, he would carry out on his promise. He would just have to be more careful in the future. If the kid could get into his house unnoticed, who knew what else he was capable of.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter 6**

Seth had finally returned to school after his "traumatizing ordeal." No one would leave him alone. The principal constantly called and checked up on him. Shane periodically would visit his classes, Zoe would stop by and see him every so often and Lillian threatened to beat up anyone that looked at Seth the wrong way, which by now was most of the school. He couldn't take it anymore. He just needed to be alone, but he knew that while the Lion was still out there he was never alone. The Lion stalked him, he was always there, he watched Seth's every move and he always knew where Seth was and what he was doing. Seth knew this by the letters that he was still currently receiving from the Lion, whether they were on his school desk or in the mail. This character was insane. He actually thought that Seth was his best friend, but the teenager had no clue who his supposed "best friend" actually was outside of the Lion. This scared Seth to the point that he was barely keeping control over himself. Out of the past week he had been forced to lock himself in the bathroom while he attempted to gain control of the panic that surged through his body. He did not want anyone to become suspicious as to why he was having attacks, so he kept it a secret. They couldn't know. Seth did not want to see what the Lion would do to him if he told anyone. He couldn't risk Lillian's life like that.

* * *

He was God. He had the power to control the lives of people within his grasp. The Lion stared at his newest pray. It was fun just to watch Seth and to know the power he held over him. He was slowly beginning to wear Seth down, slowly driving him insane, and it was fun. It was his entertainment for the day just to watch the kid fall slowly fall apart piece by piece everyday. The Lion did not want the fun to stop anytime soon either. It was a game of hunting and currently the predator was winning.

* * *

Seth entered the bathroom at the school to calm his thoughts. The teachers would give him leeway if he was late; they sympathized with what he was going through and wanted to help him as much as they could. Seth only had one word to say to that: Bullshit. He didn't mind it though. Seth walked to the nearest stall and paid no attention to the other occupant of the room. He locked the door for privacy hoping that the other person would leave soon. Seth didn't hear the door open as more people made their way into the room for he was too lost in this thoughts. But suddenly before he knew it, he smelled smoke. He looked down the smoke was originating from his feet. Was this the Lion? Was the Lion trying to kill him? Seth could feel his heartbeat increase as the panic began to surge through him. His hands began to shake and his cheeks became flushed. Seth lost all sense of what was happening around him. He distinctly heard someone yell FIRE and then the fire alarm went off, but then suddenly he was wet. Why was he wet? Was this some cruel sick joke from the Lion? The door to the stall suddenly opened. It was Shane, was Shane saving him? He heard laughing, was that the Lion? Was Shane even there or was he imaging things? Shane couldn't be there, Seth could still hear the laughter. Was this the end? 

"Seth!" Seth suddenly felt lightheaded; the presence of Shane was not calming down his fear.

Shane desperately attempted to get Seth to return to the world. The boy had closed up and shut off the world. Why was the boy reacting this way to such a small prank? Shane saw Claire enter the bathroom and give the boys, who were still laughing, a withering glare. If looks could kill.

"Claire, call Julie. I think that he is having a panic attack." Claire nodded and left making a mental note of the boys still present in the bathroom. They would not be seeing the light of day for a long time. Shane continued to attempt to get to Seth.

"Come on Seth, snap out of it."


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter 7**

I know that it has been a very long time since I last updated, but I have been just way too busy. I am an officer in three different clubs and end of the school year means lots of test, plus there is mock trial and studying and SATs and partying and my parents are pressuring me to start finding colleges that I wish to attend. I haven't had free time in over a month. I'm really sorry that it has been so long, I'm just so stressed out right now that I'm finding it hard to write and it's hard to find the time. My sister loves to hog the computer too. Anyways…

* * *

"Seth, do you want to tell me what's bothering you?" Julie asked her son. She had received a call from the school stating that her son was in a severe state of panic in the school bathroom after some boys had played a prank on him. All attempts to reach the boy had failed and Shane had become insistent that something more than the prank was bothering Seth. Something more dark, more sinister, something that had the boy petrified, too terrified to return to the world was affecting the boy. He had retreated to the depths of his mind and it had taken Julie some time to convince the boy that he was safe.

"No." Julie heard the soft spoken word that pulled her out of her reverie.

"Why not sweetheart?"

"Because it's nothing."

"Seth…"

"If I tell you, he'll kill Lillian."

"Who is going to hurt Lillian?"

"I can't tell you." Seth was nearly in tears at this point, his voice wavering as he attempted to retain control of his emotions. Seth was loosing the battle however, and he knew it, but he would not tell. He would not put his sister's life in danger.

"Seth, no one is going to hurt Lillian. She can take care of herself, she has for years, plus she has us to protect her. Seth, look at me… please." The hint of desperation in Julie's voice forced Seth to look into his mother's eyes. "Please tell me what is wrong. Nothing bad is going to happen. You are safe here and so is Lillian, no one can hurt you."

"He already did once."

"The mugging?" Julie guessed.

"Yes."

"Who is responsible for all this, please Seth, tell me." Seth looked at his mother, tears that he refused to let fall sparkled in his eyes. His voice wavering he answered his mother with the one word that he had come to dread, "The Lion."

* * *

Julie picked up the phone for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes. Should she call the police? Seth had begged her not to tell anyone, begged her not to get anyone involved, but she couldn't let this go. She would not sit by and let her baby be hurt again. She was going to protect him and this time nothing was going to get to him. She had failed her son in the past, but she would not fail him now. No one was going to hurt her son. She would spend every dollar that she possessed to find out who the Lion was, but first she would let Shane find out who the pervert was that was threatening her baby with his sister's life. Seth had revealed to her the letters that he had been receiving. He kept them all. Julie showed them to Shane, he has promised to do what he could to find out the mysterious attacker. He would not get away. Besides Shane, Julie had one other option of helping her son. It was a last resort, but it had to be done.

"Lillian."

"Yes Mrs. Plummer."

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Yeah sure, what is it?"

"It's about Seth."

"He told you about the Lion." It was a statement rather than a question.

"Yes. He told me that you had been looking in to it and I was wondering if you could, well…" A slight hesitation from the mother left Lillian room to interrupt.

"If I would use my connections with the crime world to find out who the Lion is."

"Well, yes, but only if you want to. You don't have to if you don't want to. I will understand if you don't want to. I shouldn't have even asked, but well…"

"You are just so worried about Seth that you're worry is overriding your good sense." Lillian interupted to stop Julie's ramblings.

"Yes."

"I understand, Mrs. Plummer. Really I do." Lillian added at the look of disbelief that floated across Julie's face. She had been expecting Lillian to refuse. "I will do anything necessary to help Seth and I know just the people that can help us."


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter 8**

"So Lillian, what can you tell me about the Lion?" Shane inquired.

"Not much, just that Seth and I think that he goes to our school."

"Why do you think that?"

"When Seth first started getting the letters, he got them on his desk in Math. We thought that it might have been Brian or one of his goons, but this situation has moved beyond what Brian is capable of."

"So, let me get this straight. You believe that a student is doing this." It was a statement rather than a question.

"Yes, it has to be. There's no one else that could have done it, except for the teachers. You know how tight security has been at school since 9-11. No one else is allowed in the school except for parents. And we figured that it has to be someone in the math class before him, because they would know what seat he sits in during Math."

"Do you have a list of those people?"

"Yup, it's right here." Lillian handed the list to Shane. He looked it over with an unreadable expression on his face.

"I'll see what I can find on school records and police records about these students; see if we can narrow the list." Shane told Lillian.

"I'm going to see some of my old crime buddies, see if they have heard of anyone called the Lion, or if they know anyone on this list. Even if any of these people have a sealed record, these people can find it."

Lillian left Shane behind and ran up the stairs to her room and grabbed her jacket and her keys to her motorcycle.

"Where are you going?" Seth asked his sister.

"I'm going to see some of my old friends about the Lion."

"Just don't do anything irrational, Lillian."

"Don't worry Seth. Hey, before I go, why don't you look over the list again. See if any names ring a bell, even if they are from middle school or elementary school, I mean even if you haven't talked to them in years, anything will do."

"Alright." Seth searched the list again. "Well, if you want to go back all the way to elementary school, Ryan Simmons and Riley Drake were my best friends in 5th grade and I dated Claire Smith for about a week in 7th grade."

"Why didn't you tell me this before."

"Because, it was such a long time ago, I didn't think it mattered."

"Every detail matters, Seth. Anything to keep you safe." Seth just smiled at his sister.

"Don't you have to go somewhere?"

"Yeah. I'm going." Lillian said. She walked over to her brother and gave him a big hug. Seth was momentarily surprised, Lillian never hugged anyone, but he readily returned the gesture. "Just, be safe Seth."

"I will be fine Lillian, just go."

"I don't know, maybe I should take you with me." Lillian said jokingly. "Trouble does just seem to find you all the time."

"Just go Lillian."

* * *

"So, Demon, how did we do this month?" 

"Well, Slick, we did pretty good."

"Do we have a job for next month?"

"Yeah, just a simple robbery, should be cake."

"Hey, do you hear that?"

"Sounds like a motorcycle."

"Yeah, it does. Wonder who is here."

"Let's check it out on surveillance." Demon pulled out the surveillance footage from the main entrance to their "office."

"It can't be…" Knowing that Demon and Slick were watching, the visitor waved into the camera.

"Well, don't just sit there. Let her in." Slick said as he slapped playfully at Demon. Demon, opened the door and stared, dumbfounded, at the visitor.

"London!" Both men shouted at the same time.

"It's been a long time guys."

"So," Demon began, "getting tired of the family life and decided to rejoin us."

"Sorry guys," Lillian replied. "I'm here because I need your help."

"Anything to help an old friend."

* * *

"Okay, so you have a list of possible suspects." Claire said. "And you want me to look up their school records to narrow the list." 

"Yes." Claire gave Shane a disbelieving look. "Please Claire."

"Fine, honey. I could never refuse you of anything." Shane began to read off the list of names and Claire began to search of anyone with a past history of violence.

* * *

"So what do you need, London." 

"I need to know if you guys have ever heard of anyone named the Lion. They would be new to the crime world, not longer than a couple of years. They would be right up your alley for they would have to be into surveillance."

"How do you know that?"

"Because they have been stalking my brother."

"Ohh. Well, you just may have come to the right people because I think we have heard of someone named the Lion."

"Really?"

"Really, they came here, maybe a few months ago and bought some of our old surveillance stuff off of us."

"How do you know that it was the same person I'm talking about?"

"Because the person obviously did not know what they were doing and they seemed to be young, about your age."

"Do you two have any morals?"

"Nope." Lillian had to roll her eyes at that.

"Do you have a picture or something of them, anything that will help me identify them?"

"Yeah, I think that we still have some footage of the person." Demon went to the back room and pulled out a box of old tapes. He searched through the pile till he came to the right dated tape and plugged it in so that Lillian could see it. The tape began like all their other surveillance tapes, with a person walking towards the front entrance, but this person looked up at the camera. Not always a smart move for a criminal, but in this case it was fortunate for London. Lillian stared at the face, she knew that face, she had seen it at school. "It can't be…"

* * *

"I got a hit." 

"You what?" Shane asked his companion. Shane hadn't thought that this plan would work out.

"Yeah, apparently this student brought a lead pipe to school and attacked another student."

"Seth was attacked with a lead pipe in the alley. It just could be the person we are looking for. What is their name?"

"It's…"


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter 9**

"It can't be… Sorry Demon, sorry Slick, I have to go. Now!"

"But wait, you didn't hear what else we have to tell you."

"There's no time, I have to get home."

"But it's important."

"I'm sorry, maybe I'll stop by later."

"But London…" Slick began, but it was too late, for Lillian was already out the door.

* * *

"Really," Shane said. "That kid is on the wrestling team. I never thought that he would be capable of something like this." 

"We can't be positive that it really is him."

"Yeah, I know, but I better go to the Plummer's house and tell Lillian and Julie what I found."

"Okay, Sweetheart. I will see you later then?"

"Definitely."

"If you need anything else…" Claire began, but stopped when she realized that there was no one there.

* * *

Lillian sped the whole way home, went through a red light, cut off a truck, didn't stop at a stop sign and went the wrong way on a one way street. Surprisingly she did not get pulled over, but she did make it home in record time. As she pulled her motorcycle into the driveway, she saw Shane pull in with his vehicle. 

"I know who the Lion is." Was the first thing out of Lillian's mouth.

"I do too; let's go tell Seth and Julie." Shane replied. The two rushed towards the house, but stopped abruptly at the door. It was open. The lock was broken.

"Oh my God, this isn't happening."

"Lillian we don't know anything yet."

"He's gone. I just know it. We're too late." Sorrow and guilt laced the edges of her voice, but she pushed her emotions aside and walked into the house. It was quiet, too quiet, like the calm before a storm. She noticed that Shane had followed her in, but she was too intent on discovering the whereabouts of her brother. The teenager ran to her brother's room, barely noticing the fact that Shane was following her. Upon reaching Seth's room, Lillian skidded to a halt at the sight that greeted her.

Shane, surprised by Lillian's sudden stop, nearly crashed into the teenager. Shane put his hands on her shoulders and felt her tense up a bit and flinch from his touch. He nearly forgot… He quickly took his hands off of her and peered into the boy's room to discover what had made the teen stop dead in her tracks. The room was not empty, but there was no Seth, instead there was Zoe and Lulu. Zoe was lying on the floor, unconscious and with a giant bleeding gash on the side of her head. Lulu was sitting on the floor crying, she had been gagged and tied to the bed post. Shane rushed forward to help, but Lillian stood glued to the same spot. She saw Shane's lips moving, but she didn't hear what he said, she didn't know what he wanted her to do. Like a blanket, her mind was wrapped around the fact that Seth was gone. A tap on her shoulder made Lillian jump; she was surprised by the sudden intrusion into her reverie. Her mind turned off the replay button as she ran to the phone to call for an ambulance.

* * *

Lillian went outside with Lulu to wait for the ambulance after she called for help. As they waited, Julie appeared. 

"MOM!" Lulu shouted and ran to her mother, crying.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Julie asked, worry lacing her voice. Lulu was too distraught to answer her mother. She buried her head into her mother's shoulder and sobbed. Julie took her eyes off of Lulu and stared at Lillian, her eyes begging for answers as she heard the ambulance approach the house.

"Seth is gone." Lillian's voice cracked as she told the news to Julie. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but Lillian refused to let them fall. She would not cry. "And Zoe, she was attacked by the person that took Seth. We're guessing it was the Lion. Zoe has a gash on the side of her face, and a concussion, it probably isn't anything too serious." Lillian regained her calm presence, and put the tight lock on all of her emotions as Shane made his way out of the house with the paramedics.

"Lulu and I will go with Zoe to the hospital." Julie announced. "Shane, Lillian, please find my son."


	10. Chapter Ten: Revealed Identity

**Chapter 10**

"You just had to ruin everything didn't you?"

"But I didn't do anything. You're the one that kidnapped me."

"But it was meant to be Seth. We're best friends, remember? Then that stupid Lillian had to show up and ruin everything. They took you away from me."

"These things happen."

"Not to me."

* * *

"Where are we going?" Shane asked. He had unwittingly decided to let Lillian drive. 

"We're going to see some of my old friends. They said that they had something important to tell me, but I didn't stay to hear it."

"Okay. So, you didn't answer my question. Where are we going?"

"Right here." Lillian exclaimed as she pulled over the car. On the outside it looked like a simple abandoned warehouse, but as the duo got out of the car and walked towards the building, Shane noticed the surveillance cameras. Lillian waved into the cameras and the doors opened and much to Shane's chagrin, he jumped at the sudden movement.

"Are you sure these people are reliable?"

"They're realiable-ish."

"That's reassuring."

"Ahh, London, I knew that you would come back. Couldn't resist our charm could you?" Slick called out as he saw the teenager walk into their hideout.

"Shane, meet Demon and Slick."

"London?"

"Long story. Anyways, " she said turning to her old friends, "Slick, I need to know what else you were going to tell me before I left. It appears that the Lion has kidnapped my brother."

"Say pretty please."

"No. Don't make me force it out of you. Don't you remember the last time that I did that?"

"Yeah, I was seeing stars for weeks." Lillian made a step forward to accentuate her point that she would do it again. "Okay, okay, no need for violence now. The Lion, they rented one of our old warehouses a couple of days ago."

"You rented a warehouse to a teenager?"

"Yeah." Shane looked about ready to rip the guy's head off after Slick answered in that nonchalant voice, but a withering glare from Lillian told Shane that it was better to keep his mouth shut. He would listen to her, for now, but there was no guarantee that he wouldn't come back.

"So, are two just going to sit there and glare at each other or are you going to give me the address?" Lillian, in a very annoyed voice, asked the flabbergasted Slick.

"Yeah, we figured you would come back so we wrote down the address and got directions." Demon answered.

"Aww, Demon, you're so sweet." Lillian said and gave the older man a hug.

"Hey!" Lillian just glared at Slick.

"Well, Slick, I would give you a hug, but we really have to get going."

"Liar. You're not getting away that easily." The man said and gave Lillian a huge bear hug. "Are you sure you don't want to come back?"

"I'm sure Slick. I'm happy with my new family." Shane smiled at the exchange. Despite the fact that the girl tried to kill him and even worse, she'd kneed him in the groin, he still liked the teenager.

"Alright, thank you so much guys. You don't know how much this means to me. Shane, are you ready to go on a rescue mission. I mean, you're probably rusty at all this hero stuff." Shane just stared at the teenager and grabbed the keys from her pocket before she could respond.

"Looks like I still got it in me."

* * *

"I still don't understand why you are doing this." 

"Because you belong to me and only me, Seth. If we ever want to be best friends again Seth, we have to get rid of your pesky twin sister. She should be arriving soon."

"You're crazy and psychotic. You won't win."

"But that is where you are wrong. No one messes with Riley Drake and gets away with it."


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter 11 **

"So it begins…"

"That is so corny." If looks could kill…

"Your friends have arrived and just on schedule. It's time for the fun to start."

"I can't believe you just said that. That is so cheesy."

"SHUT UP!" Seth had finally infuriated the insatiable Riley. Not like that was hard, but there were consequences. It was Seth's turn to glare as the teenager slapped Seth. Wasn't he in enough pain? He had a broken arm that was painfully tied behind his back and his recently broken ribs had begun to throb under the constant strain. And then Riley had to go and slap him, well that boy was in for quite a surprise when his twin and Shane showed up.

* * *

"We must proceed with caution." 

"You sound like someone from a horror film, cheesy and stupid."

"Haha. Seriously Lillian, Riley Drake could be really dangerous, we have to be careful. We don't know what he is capable of."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be careful." But as soon as the door to the warehouse came within reach, Lillian threw caution to the wind and broke down the door. The door fell to the floor with a resounding crash. Shane could only roll his eyes at the teenager.

"When are the police supposed to arrive?" Shane whispered.

"Why? Did you want to wait for them, because you can go ahead and wait, but I'm not going to." Lillian announced suddenly defensively.

"I wasn't suggesting that we wait, I was just wondering."

"Ohh, then they should be here in about ten minutes and before you even ask, I'm positive that I gave them the right address. Happy?"

"Yes. Now no more talking, we want to take this person by surprise."

"Yeah, cuz that always works in the movies." Lillian sarcastically replied. Shane opted to ignore her comment and pressed on to more important matters.

The newest crime fighting duo slowly and quietly walked through the warehouse searching for their missing counterpart. It took some time to find the missing boy for the warehouse had not been emptied upon abandonment. Boxes and old machinery was still piled high and covered in a thick layer of dust. But amongst all the outdated material was the one thing that they were searching for and when they finally found it, they felt relief flood through them, but only for a second.

"SETH!" Lillian found Seth bound and gagged in the middle of a clearing in the old warehouse. Upon hearing his name the twin searched for his sister among the darkness, when his eyes found hers, they begged her not to walk forward, they filled with fear, but the fear was not over his own safety. Lillian did not take the hint. She ran forward to free the captured prey of the Lion. "Lillian, no!" Shane shouted, but it was too late. Sometimes that girl let her fierce loyalty and unnecessary guilt get in the way of common sense. Therefore, Shane was helpless as the Lion attacked his innocent victim.

"And the score is one for the Lion and zero for little ickle Lillian." Despite the seriousness of the situation, Seth just had to roll his eyes at that comment. His sister may have been on the ground, unconscious, due to a vicious blow to the back of the head from a shovel and the Lion may have a knife in his hands, threatening to end the life of the person lying beneath his feet, but the Lion… It was like everything he said came directly from another source. It just wasn't what Seth had expected from a real live situation. It was like he wasn't even at the warehouse, tied up with his sister lying in the middle of the floor. It was almost as if he was watching the whole thing on TV, but the sharp pains spiking up his arm told him that this whole situation was reality.

"Who's going to save you now?" The Lion asked bringing Seth's thoughts away from his epiphany.

"You forgot one thing." Shane walked out from the shadows that the night provided. One could say that Riley was startled. He had forgotten about the ex-Marine. Well, that's what happens when one relishes on victory for too long, they forget about the small details; the small details of an extremely large and muscular, and don't forget well trained, ex-United States officer. Riley knew he was outmatched at this point.

"I just have one question for you Riley. Why did you do all of this? Why stalk and kidnap Seth? Why try to get rid of Lillian? What kind of grudge do you have against the Plummer family?" Riley decided to go along with Shane for now; it could work towards his advantage.

"Seth and I were meant to be together. We're best friends you know."

"No we're not; we haven't been best friends since middle school." This angered the Lion and made Shane painfully conscious of the fact that Riley was still standing between Red 2 and Lillian and himself, a knife placed firmly in his hands. He was attempting to keep the boy talking to calm him to be able to get to the twins, but Seth was making it difficult. Shane glared at Seth, begging him to stay quiet for his own safety and asked Riley another question.

"How did you two meet?"

"Ohh, a long time ago. We were both the outcasts, you know. Neither of us really fit in with the other kids and we were both lonely, so we became friends. He was my only friend in the whole world, and I was his only friend. We do everything together, like we went to the movies together the other month, right before his accident."

"You've been stalking me that long!" Seth was outraged at this fact. Shane sent another warning glare in the boy's direction and told Riley to continue.

"Anyways, before I was so rudely interrupted, we did everything together. We just sort of understood each other. We both shared similar problems that the other could understand and sympathize with."

"What changed?"

"Lillian.You just had to show up." The Lion whispered to his unconscious prey as he brutally kicked her in the side. "After _she_ showed up, Seth began spending all of his time with her. First as Sammy and then as Lillian. He just didn't have time for me anymore. I had to remind him of our friendship."

"The letters and the mugging in the alleyway." Shane guessed.

"Seth had to be punished for his failure to comply with my terms."

"That doesn't sound like a friendship to me Riley, if you're making all the decisions."

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT FRIENDSHIPS! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" Riley yelled, infuriated at the ex-bodyguard. Suddenly Riley didn't care if this was a match he couldn't win, suddenly Riley didn't care about how much bigger the man was than him, all that mattered now was that this man was in the way of his friendship with Seth. Shane must go. Riley, flustered with anger, rushed at Shane in one last desperate attempt…


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter 12**

For anyone that is confused, Lillian is indeed Seth's twin sister, but she hasn't always been living with the Plummers, they were, and I know this sounds generic, but they were separated at a young age. Lillian became a criminal and attempted to steal the ghost, but she did not anticipate that she would be stealing the ghost from the family that adopted her brother, Seth. In the end, there's a happy ending and the Plummer's adopt Lillian and she officially becomes part of the family and she sheds her criminal friends, but Demon and Slick are two young people still in the criminal business that she goes to for help when the Lion attacks. So, there is a very short recap of my other story Blue Eyes Now Cold. Anymore questions and I would be glad to answer them.

* * *

Riley lunged forward like a rabid dog intent on killing its prey. The knife gleamed dangerously in his hands. A maniac glee spread across Riley's face and he went in for the kill. 

"I won't let you ruin everything. It was meant to be, can't you see that? It was meant to be!" Riley's voice was so low and deep that it imitated the throaty roar of a hungry Lion. As Riley rushed forward to what he believed was victory, he let out a growl, but he was no match for Shane.

The teenager had no idea what he was doing when it came down to a one-on-one fight, but Shane was reluctant to hurt the boy. He was just a child. Riley's moves were wild as he blindly slashed the knife around. Shane blocked each blow and clearly had the upper hand. Riley, his eyes glazed, had given over to his anger, he had given over to his pain as he realized sadly that the Lion had finally met its match. He wouldn't give up though; those horrible people were not going to get their grimy hands on Seth. If he couldn't have Seth, then no one would…

He used the knowledge that Shane did not want to hurt him to his advantage. Riley lunged forward one last time knowing that Shane would block him, but at the very last second, Riley ducked under the man's outstretched arm and desperately dived for his victim.

Seth let out a muffled yelp as he realized the Lion would reach him before Shane could react. He gave a frightened, hopeless glance at Lillian, but he found no reassurance nor help in the closed eyes of his unconscious sister. Seth quickly scooted backwards as he realized that he was on his own. No one could save him.

Riley, angered at his failure to kill the wretched Lillian, knew no other way to channel his anger except to take out his feelings on the poor, unsuspecting Seth. Riley stomped near the struggling teenager and violently stopped the boy's squirming with a vicious blow to Seth's chest. A loud snap resounded in the warehouse as one of Seth's mending ribs cracked under the force of the blow, leaving Seth gasping for air. Each breath became torture as pain flared through his chest with each agonizing breath he took. It felt as if sharp daggers were peircing his lungs everytime his chest expanded to allow for the passage of air.

Shane, enraged at the display of cold hatred, dashed forward but was stopped dead in his tracks. He wasn't quick enough. The Lion had pulled Seth up by his hair and was now using him as a human shield, the knife held firmly to the twin's sensitive throat. It was then that Shane noticed something that the Lion had not.

There was just a slight movement by London who was still lying sprawled on the ground. Shane silently warned Lillian not to move with his eyes. She got the hint; wait till the right moment to attack. But the Lion had noticed the small exchange.

Riley was furious that these two intruders would dare to defy his will, how dare they try to sucker punch him. Well he would show them, he would show all of them. No one defied the Lion and got away with it.

Riley Drake, intent on revenge, pushed the knife just a little harder against Seth's throat. Crimson blood began to trickle down the twin's pale skin. Riley roughly forced Seth to walk towards his sister.

Shane noticed, with a tinge of regret, that Riley had taken on a savage look in his eyes. Any emotions of love and other feelings associated with it, had long fled Riley, leaving a hollow soul left in its wake, a hollow soul that only knew anger and domination. He got what he wanted no matter what. Shane wanted to deny this revelation for he knew what it meant, he knew Riley could not be saved.

Shane, in agony over his uselessness, watched as Riley shuffled towards the defenseless Lillian. With all the strength that the teenager possessed, Riley slammed his foot into London's hand. With a sickening crunch, Shane heard several bones fracture.

Lillian could not longer pretend to be unconscious as the agony of the broken bones spread up her arm and into her brain. Momentarily blinded by her anguish, Lillian barely contained her scream of pain. She shot upwards, her damaged arm held protectively to her chest.

"That'll teach you to mess with the great Lion." Lillian turned teary, shocked eyes at her captor. "Now, no more games. It all ends now."


	13. Chapter Thirteen

This is kind of a dark chapter, so if you don't like that I'm warning you now. So if you think that you might be upset, I suggest that you just skip this chapter and read the much happier next chapter when it comes out. It's not too bad though.

**

* * *

Chapter 13 **

"Now, no more games. It all ends now."

If possible, the Lion held his victim just a little tighter. One small droplet of blood fell from Seth's throat and found its way onto the hand of the other of half of its soul who was lying helplessly on the floor. One small tear fell from the depths of Lillian's blue eyes mingling with the crimson liquid. Lillian forced her eyes to stare into the frightened gaze of her brother. In that one moment that they shared, more was said between the two than could ever have been said with words. Seth had quietly accepted his fate and Lillian had vowed to follow her twin, the savior of her soul, wherever he went, even if she had to follow his soul to the afterlife. There was no place that he could go where she could not follow.

Lillian reached her hand upwards towards her brother. Even with his limited mobility Seth was able to reach down and grasp her hand, completing the unspoken pact as they joined hands. Seth gasped as he felt the knife slip deeper into his skin.

Shane noticed the small exchange between the two siblings. The eyes are the window to one's soul and what Shane saw within their souls was peace, resignation, acceptance and loyalty. They would follow each other to the end if need be. If one died in this cold, damp warehouse, then the other would follow shortly. Shane could not, no, would not allow that to happen. He had already lost their father on a mission; he would not loose another Plummer. This family has been through enough. His options were limited though. For the first time in his life, Shane didn't know what to do. Even when he had first arrived at the Plummer's house, he had never been this far out of control of the situation. What they needed at this point was hope, which can be found in any situation when one looks hard enough.

At this point, the three trapped occupants had forgotten about their counterparts that had led them to the warehouse in the first place. When Lillian tore her eyes from the disturbing sight of her distraught brother, a moving figure and a thumbs up from the least likely person cast away the hopelessness and dread that had wedged itself deep within her mind. London dared not alert Shane though for fear that the Lion would pick up on the exchange. Brightened by the sudden turn of events Lillian focused her thoughts back on the situation with the Lion.

"All I want is the twins. Why don't you spare yourself the trouble and just leave."

"I can't do that, Riley." Riley growled. He didn't wish to hurt Seth any further; Seth was his friend no matter how neglectful he had been in recent times. Lillian, however, well, if he was going to die here today, then Lillian would go with him.

Riley pushed Seth towards Shane who gracefully caught the stumbling teenager, but before he had even realized the Lion's intentions, the knife was poised to kill. And that's when the two most unlikely knights in shining armor emerged from the debris that littered the warehouse.

"Charge!" Slick yelled to his companion. Demon rushed forward and stopped the deadly path of the knife before it could reach its intended target. Riley, enraged how the situation had turned against him yet again, violently lashed out and kicked Demon in the stomach leaving the man to gasp for air, the knife falling harmlessly to the ground.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Demon managed to rasp out to the unmoving Slick.

"Yeah." Demon scowled at his friend. There was nothing to be done, though, for when Demon looked up, Riley and Shane had both taken off.

* * *

Shane was not about to let Riley get away so that he could further terrorize the Plummers, so when the teenager took off, Shane followed. Most people would have been unable to follow the boy through the maze of the warehouse, but Shane was a trained Marine. He followed the boy to a set of stairs he had not known existed. Making sure that there were no traps, Shane peered up the stairs before cautiously following the boy. But Riley had no escape plan, he had not expected to loose. There was no lurking danger. 

Shane opened the door on the top of stairs and realized that they were on the roof. He could hear sirens approaching from the distance. Shane searched the rooftop and found one lone boy standing on the edge of the roof. Slowly, Shane approached the boy, not wanting to scare him.

Riley heard his approach though and sorrowfully looked up at that stars as they twinkled in response. He turned around and looked at Shane, tears streaming down his face. Riley backed up till his feet were partially over the edge of the building. He was teetering on the line between death and life.

"I just wanted someone to be my friend." Tears rolled down the teenager's cheeks and Shane could see the desperation and the immense pain that flowed from the child's eyes. He had given up. Shane rushed forward, intent on saving the boy, but he was not quick enough. Riley had been emotionally plunged over the edge, and as the teenager took his last step, he felt joy, for the first time in a long time. He was finally free from his suffering.

* * *

This is not the end. 


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter 14**

The sky was calm that night. The stars shined brightly, the full moon at its peak. For anyone else, it would have been beautiful, for anyone else, it would have been a good night to just gaze up at the stars and be wrapped in the peace and calm that they provided. But for Shane Wolfe, the stars only brought despair.

He had the power to save the child, he had the ability to keep him from jumping, but he had not been quick enough. And now, a child was lost to the night due to his lack of response. He had failed another soul, and another family.

Forlornly, Shane stumbled down the stairs and back into the warehouse. Paramedics were attending to the injured twins as the police asked them insignificant questions. Slowly he walked towards them, not wanting to be the bearer of the news. They could tell from his eyes though.

"I couldn't save him."

"Riley didn't want to be saved, Shane. There was nothing you could have done." Shane simply nodded, dumbfounded.

"What happened?" One of the insignificant police officers asked.

"Riley Drake, the one who kidnapped Seth, committed suicide just a couple of minutes ago." The police officer, which no one would remember in a few days, turned to one of his companions and whispered a few commands. The other officer simply nodded and took off, presumably to search the grounds for Riley Drake.

"How are you two holding up?" Shane knew it was a dumb question, but he had to say something, anything to keep his mind from replaying the horrible scene on the roof, to keep the guilt at bay.

"We're fine Shane. Seth has a cracked rib, and I may have to wear a cast, but all wounds shall heal with time, even those that we can't see." Shane just nodded his head, knowing what the girl meant, knowing that the youngster was right, but unable to believe her. Silence lapsed between the trio again. It began to slowly suffocate Shane, until the police officer pulled him aside.

"Are you sure that Riley Drake jumped?" Shane was puzzled by the comment.

"I'm hundred percent positive. I saw and heard his body hit the ground." Shane just barely managed to keep his voice straight. The boy was too young to die, it wasn't his time. "Why, what's wrong?"

"We searched the entire area three times, Mr. Wolfe. There was no body. What we did find was this note, though." Shane, horrified, stared at the words written on the paper in shock. And these are the words that terrified Shane:

Sometimes what you're looking for is right in front of you.  
But you look right at me and don't see me.  
I'll be here in the end as I was in the past.  
You're only prolonging you're death.  
You saw me once, you'll see me again.  
I am your shadow, I am your ghost.  
And there's nothing you can do to stop me.  
So say goodbye, to all you know and all you love.  
Because in the end, you can't save them all.  
And in the end I'll be there,  
To relish in your misery,  
And deliver what is long overdue.  
To sweet, sweet revenge,  
May it prosper as I have,  
And destroy you as I wish.

Shane was shocked. This wasn't what he had expected, wasn't what he wanted to happen. He just wanted the Plummer family to be safe and all his hopes had been smashed against a wall with this one small note. But who was the note for? Who was meant to read the note? Perhaps it had nothing to do with them. Shane wanted to believe that, he really did, but the Plummers attracted danger like candy attracted children. It was inevitable. He thought briefly of telling the twins, but opted against it. This wasn't something he should share with the teenagers; they had already been through enough. He would tell Julie when the time was right.

Shane vowed to protect the Plummers. That note meant danger and he would not let the Plummers be put in further danger. Officially, he may not be their bodyguard, but he loved those kids and he would protect them to end if need be. There is no place for fear.

"So are you two ready to go to the hospital." Shane asked refusing to let the twins know what he had discovered.

"I don't want to go to the hospital again. It's not nice there." Seth whined.

"Ohh, but you have to go, or do you want me to patch you up again?"

"No!"

"Maybe, after we get all patched up, we can finally get on with our lives. Maybe we can be normal." Lillian said.

"Till the next adventure."

"Shut up Seth, that isn't even funny."

"What?"

"There will be no 'next adventure.' We are going to be normal from now on."

"Yeah, until the next weird thing just happens to stumble across us." Shane just shook his head at the arguing twins. Perhaps everything would be okay, but despair coiled deep within him and he knew, he just knew, that this was not the end. They were still traveling down a murderous path. Happy ever after would have to wait just a little bit longer.

**The End **


End file.
